Marmoset

Formed in Indianapolis during the 1990s, Marmoset assembled a lineup of bassist/vocalist Jorma Whittaker, guitarist LonPaul Ellrich, guitarist/vocalist Dave Jablonski, and drummer Jason Cavan to explore a shambling Midwestern variant of British post-punk and psychedelic pop. After inking a deal with Secretly Canadian, the group issued its first EP, Hiddenforbidden, in 1998; the short, two-minute bursts delivered an abrasive yet hook-driven approach. Early the next year the full-length debut Today It's You appeared, expanding the sonic palette while preserving the same concise song lengths. A darker and more hallucinatory collection, The Record in Red, surfaced in 2001, followed in 2002 by the Mishawaka EP, whose cleaner sonics, abstract textures, and intricate arrangements marked a further evolution. After a period of inactivity Whittaker issued a self-titled solo album in 2003. The remaining members, now without Ellrich, reemerged on the 2006 Indiana indie-rock anthology Delicious Berries and supplied a version of Jens Lekman’s “Sky Phenomenon” to Secretly Canadian’s SC100 compilation the following year. Later in 2007 the band delivered Florist Fired, an album whose freewheeling art-pop spirit echoed Today It's You. Shifting to Joyful Noise Recordings, Marmoset then released Tea Tornado, an even more overtly pop-oriented effort than its predecessor.